OT: Need advice on amp repair/sale

[mhorse]

Some of you may recall my post about problems I've had with my Mesa (clean channel gone mute). Well the problem fixed itself after I moved the amp around a bit, so it must have been something loosing electrical contact inside.

That incident was the last drop (sort of), so I've decided to sell it, probably on eBay.

I'm worried about what's gonna happen if it will quickly die on whoever's gonna buy it - I don't want to screw the guy over. So I was thinking of taking it to the repair guy before selling it to make sure it's in good shape. However, I'm not sure how much that would cost me, but presumably over $100 (anyone has a better estimate for that type of work?).

Do you think it's worth taking it to the shop, or should I just say had issues hence selling AS-IS sorta thing in the listing?

 

[Mick]

Well if you mention the problem of the amp you won´t get near the money you want.
Looks like a failing tube or bad solder joint so nothing difficult.
But if you put a problems amp on ebay you will loose more than the repair costs.
Mick

 

[SteveB]

I'd fix the amp first. As Mick said, you'll probably take a bigger hit selling it in semi-working condition than if you have the repair done.

 

[mhorse]

Thanks guys. I guess I'll be giving repair tech a call tonight.

 

[bearkat16]

I agree with everything that's been said. Your going to take a big loss if you sell as is. Would you pay top dollar for something that had some issues? Probably not. Let us know when you talk to the tech.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

If the quote is really expensive, sell it on ebay with the fault. You never know someone who is an amp tech may buy it!

 

[edensdad]

Have you swapped out the tubes? I was getting a pinging sound in my "vintage" channel of my Mesa. I always try to look for a cheap solution before I pay a professional. I read a tube amp FAQ somewhere describing what happens when pre-amp tubes die. One thing they can do is start a microphonic pinging or squealing noise. The instructions told me to swap out the pre amp tubes between channels - voila! The pinging moved to a different channel. New preamp tube - fixed.

Maybe the cutting out or whatever you're having could be as simple as my tube issue was. Speaker wires hooked up OK?

Just my 2 cents - I'm not a tech, just a fretburner.

>^..^<

 

[Spudmurphy]

I would change the tubes.

Also slide the chassis out of the case and tap (very lightly around some of the soldered joints with a woodem spoon? or something not metal)
Could be a dry joint (too many jokes not enough time !) or a loose wire.

Give it a go and you could save yourself a big bill.

Please be carefull 'cos tube amps can KILL !!!!!

 

[mhorse]

Thanks guys. I'm aware of the fact that the voltage in the amp can be lethal, which is one of the reason why I want to take it to the shop.
edensdad, I now started to get that pinging sound sometimes in the clean channel, so I guess it must be the tube. If I only knew the schematics of my amp to know which tube(s) to replace!
Do you think it's worth trying to contact Mesa directly for that information, or will they just send me to their certified repair shop (there is one around here I beleive)?

 

[Steve]

I had a problem with the tubes in my Mesa and when I called them up they just walked me through what to do and the problem was solved.

 

[Pundix]

Thanks guys. I'm aware of the fact that the voltage in the amp can be lethal, which is one of the reason why I want to take it to the shop.
edensdad, I now started to get that pinging sound sometimes in the clean channel, so I guess it must be the tube. If I only knew the schematics of my amp to know which tube(s) to replace!
Do you think it's worth trying to contact Mesa directly for that information, or will they just send me to their certified repair shop (there is one around here I beleive)?

If the initial problem was that your volume in that channel dropped out completely I'm guessing that it is not a tube problem. However, there could be a bad tube as well. Volume drops like that normally mean 1) something has lost connection in the amp. Amps tend to vibrate a lot when you play and connections can work loose. or 2) it has gotten too hot and a capacator has started to leak. Either of these things is a fairly easy fix for a pro and is generally not that expensive.

Note: If you have a capacator that overheats and starts leaking it can cause that volume drop coming and going. Capacator spill is conductive and can cause strange things to happen. On a positive note my great old MK IV caught fire and it was less than 250.00 to repair. It works great now.

 

[edensdad]

Thanks guys. I'm aware of the fact that the voltage in the amp can be lethal, which is one of the reason why I want to take it to the shop.
edensdad, I now started to get that pinging sound sometimes in the clean channel, so I guess it must be the tube. If I only knew the schematics of my amp to know which tube(s) to replace!
Do you think it's worth trying to contact Mesa directly for that information, or will they just send me to their certified repair shop (there is one around here I beleive)?

I went on Mesa's website and downloaded the manual for my amp - which had a basic schematic of the tubes and which sockets they go in.

Try this link:

http://www.mesaboogie.com/manuals/user_manuals.htm

Best of luck. I'm a big chicken who's afraid of electricty (you'd never suspect I work for the local electric company - for real), Anyway - I made sure it was off and cool between every tube change.

>^..^<

 

[mhorse]

I went on Mesa's website and downloaded the manual for my amp - which had a basic schematic of the tubes and which sockets they go in.

Try this link:

http://www.mesaboogie.com/manuals/user_manuals.htm

Best of luck. I'm a big chicken who's afraid of electricty (you'd never suspect I work for the local electric company - for real), Anyway - I made sure it was off and cool between every tube change.

>^..^<

Thanks. I've been to that page and downloaded the manual, except there is no schematics in it :-(. I think I'm going to email the factory.